got a problem with stance...

[KFed_Destroyer of Rails]

Heres my situation...ive been boarding for 5 years now and i consider myself intermediate/somewhat advanced. I learned to board with a regular stance because thats how all my friends who taught me boarded at the time. However, according to all the tests (leaning forward and seeing which foot you use to catch yourself, sliding on ice) i should be goofy footed. I even skateboard goofy footed. I was just wondering if this is a problem...and if i should try to learn to ride goofy? could it improve my boarding in any way?

also...as a side question: Is a wider or closer stance more preferable? especially for the park and jibbing?

[MaXx_BoOsT]

Heres my situation...ive been boarding for 5 years now and i consider myself intermediate/somewhat advanced. I learned to board with a regular stance because thats how all my friends who taught me boarded at the time. However, according to all the tests (leaning forward and seeing which foot you use to catch yourself, sliding on ice) i should be goofy footed. I even skateboard goofy footed. I was just wondering if this is a problem...and if i should try to learn to ride goofy? could it improve my boarding in any way?

also...as a side question: Is a wider or closer stance more preferable? especially for the park and jibbing?

wider for park and jibbing...and if boarding goofy is more comfortable to u then ride goofy...

[SnoChica]

I would definitely try to learn goofy because riding both directions will simply make you a better all around rider. If you plan on tricks and jumps, it will help you land switch and approach jumps switch. I don't see a reason not to. ;)

[Fae]

I'm similar to you, learned how to ride regular, but all the tests say i should be goofy. I don't really think it's harmed my riding at all except maybe it taking longer for me to pick up on things initially. And look at it this way, it should be easier for you to learn to ride switch this way.

[snowboarding_bear]

learn to ride both its the best for you

[kreator]

ya if you already know how to ride regular
then learn how to ride goofy

your not going to be doing verry good jibs with a close stance
like i ride a 148 sc park with a 25 1/2 inch stance
with like a 25 -17 angels
and jibs are really easy

[IceCoastChick]

Tight pants, wide stance...probably minus the tight pants part.

You don't have to switch your bindings around though, just start riding switch on your current setup if you can ride regular just fine. There are a bunch of people out there that skate one way and snowboard the other.

[DragonUSMC]

Those tests things that instructors do... are simply just tests to try and save us 45 mins of wasting time trying to figure out if what footed someone is. If you've been riding for 5 years then do what feels comfortable to you. Learn to ride both equally well and you wont have to worry about it.

as for stance... I used to max mine out as far as it would go... A wide stance will help you wil landing anything as it spreads out your weight and also naturally lowers your center of gravity. I'm too old now so i go slightly wider then my shoulders. Try a few different stances.... which ever feels more comfortable to you, stick with that.

[Burton Doom]

I think I ride a 24 on my 153 its good for jumps and jibs usually I only fall cuz im leaning back to much on spins with that so it makes it more stable. And honestly if you switch up to goofy for 3 days and thats how you skateboard, if you any good at skateboarding you should pick up goofy so fast on a snowboard it would soooooo be worth it. then decide what to do but in 3 days riding goofy you will become a better snowboarder than you have in 2 years. You just have to do it, which is really hard when your already really good at regular or goofy.

[THeJoNMAN]

i agree trust ur instinct man...

[get me out of GA]

Trust the force Luke




EDIT:

I need to stop posting when I'm high

[KFed_Destroyer of Rails]

Trust the force Luke




EDIT:

I need to stop posting when I'm high
best advice i've had yet...haha

[punkrock89]

LOL @ GA. Honestly, if you've been riding for 5 years, that probably means that you hardly ever ride, and you may not be up to the intermediate level if you aren't even sure what's the best stance for yourself. I'm a goofy. Cant do switch on a surfboard, and barely at all on a skateboard. But when snowboarding, there's very little difference to me. I can ride either way comfortably.

[KFed_Destroyer of Rails]

LOL @ GA. Honestly, if you've been riding for 5 years, that probably means that you hardly ever ride, and you may not be up to the intermediate level if you aren't even sure what's the best stance for yourself. I'm a goofy. Cant do switch on a surfboard, and barely at all on a skateboard. But when snowboarding, there's very little difference to me. I can ride either way comfortably.
believe me...im a little better than intermediate...and i know that i ride regular. I was just curious if it was worth spending the time and effort to learn goofy (since i can skate goofy) and ride switch comfortably like you do...or if i should just stick with regular and just learn how to land fakie.

[Enoduolc]

Ya should just do both it will make you better, hell Travis Parker always switches his stances between regular and goofy.

[punkrock89]

Yeah, learn goofy and regular. It'll make you a well balanced rider, and give you more controll in all situations. Also, you can make any tricks you do more impressive by doing it switch.

[advres]

believe me...im a little better than intermediate...and i know that i ride regular. I was just curious if it was worth spending the time and effort to learn goofy (since i can skate goofy) and ride switch comfortably like you do...or if i should just stick with regular and just learn how to land fakie.

You are not better then intermediate if you can't ride switch 100% comfortably all of the time. Sorry to burst your bubble but it is true.

I can spend a day riding switch, and it seems like second nature (aside from gnarly straightline chutes and big drops) and I consider myself only a slightly advanced rider. And I ride everyday (no exaggeration) on terrain I assume you have only dreamt about. Just because you can "destroy rails" doesn't mean you are better then an intermediate rider.

When you can ride this switch, then I will call you better then intermediate. We call it "Once is Enough" and the name applies.

http://www.bikerag.com/images/PICTURES/ski/pics9/once_twice2.jpg

[DragonUSMC]

^holy hell... I see 2 lines i would want to take on that... and both of them could be Lanch city...


<--- Jealous. =(

[advres]

^holy hell... I see 2 lines i would want to take on that... and both of them could be Lanch city...

haha... Yeah, those are big hits too. The size doesn't translate well in the photo. Those itty bitty cliffs lookers left of the main couloir at the bottom are about 40 footers with the snowpack in the picture. This winter they were unhittable due to low snowpack.

[KFed_Destroyer of Rails]

^ first of all...i live on the east coast. Skill level is completely different over here compared to out west. I dont get the opportunity to even attempt things like that picture or even backcountry at all over on our east coast sleding hills. I do the park...its what i do. If you want to compare my skill level to every rider there is out there...then im probably at rock bottom. But considering im better than the majority of riders at my local resorts, thats what i consider intermediate. (thats probably why i look so terrible when i travel out west).

but it is probably a good idea to learn switch in order to improve my overall skill

[advres]

^ first of all...i live on the east coast. Skill level is completely different over here compared to out west.

ughh... That is possibly one of the stupidest statements I have ever heard. Ever hear of Shane Flood? Yeah, he grew up riding Wachusett with me. Ever hear of Pat Moore? Yeah, another pro easterner. ****, Jeremy Jones, yup, started snowboarding on golf courses in Massachusetts. Dude there is tons of talent out there and tons of pro snowboarders have come from there. You don't have to live out west to be a good rider. 75% of the talent we film with started on the east coast.

I learned in New England and I have improved only slightly since moving out here. I moved here 2 years ago... You think I learned how to do that in 2 years? Well I did, but I had a good solid base to start with.


but it is probably a good idea to learn switch in order to improve my overall skill

That was a good comment. I didn't mean to hate, I was just trying to make a statement. Riding park is great and improving spins and rails is awesome, I was only saying that to be an all around good snowboarder, you need skills that are not only park.

[KFed_Destroyer of Rails]

ughh... That is possibly one of the stupidest statements I have ever heard. Ever hear of Shane Flood? Yeah, he grew up riding Wachusett with me. Ever hear of Pat Moore? Yeah, another pro easterner. ****, Jeremy Jones, yup, started snowboarding on golf courses in Massachusetts. Dude there is tons of talent out there and tons of pro snowboarders have come from there. You don't have to live out west to be a good rider. 75% of the talent we film with started on the east coast.

I learned in New England and I have improved only slightly since moving out here. I moved here 2 years ago... You think I learned how to do that in 2 years? Well I did, but I had a good solid base to start with.
ok maybe that was a stupid statement (i forgot about all those riders that have come from the east coast)...i was just trying to make the point that if im considered only a beginner and not even an intermediate, then i hate to think of what you would say if you visited my local mountain...because frankly i think you would laugh your ass off at us if im one of the better riders on the mountain. But i guess its that select handful that are the only ones that end up going somewhere with snowboarding.

And I ride everyday (no exaggeration) on terrain I assume you have only dreamt about.
you lucky lucky bastard...im lucky to get out like 2 or three times a week when it snows or even gets cold enough to make snow in maryland (thats like 2-3 months out of the season)

[punkrock89]

Psh... 2 or 3 times a week! I've had a good season if I went 2 or 3 times the enite f*cking season! ...And I can ride switch as easily as regular and handle my self pretty well on blacks and double blacks at the places in VA and WV. So I consider myself slightly advanced, though I havent had much chance to ride park. I think I would be able to ride that face, Andvres. Though it'd deff be harder than anything I've ever ridden in the EC.

[Spin240]

Kfed, next season learn to bomb every trail you ride normally... switch... and when i say bomb I mean the point where your limited by the wax on your board and drag on the snow... Then your a decent switch rider...

A good switch rider can hit moguls switch... hard, Once you learn to ride moguls switch then your a good switch rider.

After I learned to ride switch well I started to find myself riding switch all of the time, for no reason... Just because I actually liked to ride switch because I had to actually think going down the trail... remembering all of the certain body movements that are nessacary but doing them opposite.

Personally I love to ride switch and if you are a park rat like you say... then your definately intermediate until you can land a 540... not cab mind you either... Once you stick a BS or FS 5 over something and can ride away clean ready to hit the next feature then you are a high level rider.

[thisboyneedstheropy]

ok heres the deal i rock 153's i max out my stance and throw 25/-25 or duck footed i just recently got back the ablity to walk cause i torn my mcl acl and shattered part of my knew cap ... joy... ok my thought was that maybe my stance is to wide and that part of how i hurt myself .... any opinions

[KFed_Destroyer of Rails]

ok heres the deal i rock 153's i max out my stance and throw 25/-25 or duck footed i just recently got back the ablity to walk cause i torn my mcl acl and shattered part of my knew cap ... joy... ok my thought was that maybe my stance is to wide and that part of how i hurt myself .... any opinions
well how exactly did you hurt yourself...was it off a box? rail? kicker?

[thisboyneedstheropy]

well how exactly did you hurt yourself...was it off a box? rail? kicker?


well it was a group of events a i got a level 2 concusion 2 weeks before a 3 day trip to loon mtn so i dont remeber if it hurt then but it may have had something to do with it .... and at loon they got a dumpping of 1-2 feet and for us east coasters thats nuts so i did a lot of eatting **** in to the snow trying out 7's and switch ups on a down rail or 2 because of the soft and i hardley ever feel pain but when i did i was getting rag dolled on this fence gap to tree jib to a drop and i got hung up on the tree and had to hop of early causeing me to land super off the landing roller to another tree stump and my ( left) i ride regular) knee screamed when i did that causeing my to ride goofy to the bottom where i noticeed my knee cap on the side of my leg ... to the hospital.... any thought i think i'm gunna change up my stance because i think that had something to do with it

[KFed_Destroyer of Rails]

^ well a wider stance probably didnt help the situation...but i think in either case you were f*cked from that landing.

i cant believe you actually rode down the rest of the way

[thisboyneedstheropy]

yea that was stuiped because i did damage doing that too .... i just never want to be taken down in a first aid sled ever

[KFed_Destroyer of Rails]

take my word for it...its not fun

the damn things so bumpy and insecure you may as well go down on ur own...i didnt because my forearm was split in half and having it dangle around is prolly not a good idea

[advres]

ok heres the deal i rock 153's i max out my stance and throw 25/-25 or duck footed i just recently got back the ablity to walk cause i torn my mcl acl and shattered part of my knew cap ... joy... ok my thought was that maybe my stance is to wide and that part of how i hurt myself .... any opinions

Yeah, that stance is a little extreme. It depends on your height and leg length. If you are 6'1" I would say that is an ok width. If you are <5'8" I would say good-bye knees.

Some people are into as wide as possible, but can you really ride properly when your stance is that wide is the question. I ride 23" wide 28/-15 and I am 5'8". That is just me though. Everyone has their own preferable stance.

I personally have tried riding upto 25.5" stances. My knees killed me and I slowly dialed it back to where I am most comfortable (23"). Because you do want the widest comfortable stance for a stable platform. I also ride .75" back but that is beside the point.

And just "maxing out your stance" sounds dumb. Do you know how wide it is? Just because you ride 153 doesn't mean their "maxed out stances" are the same. I would measure up something a little less extreme and try to stay with it no matter which board you jump on.

[Spin240]

Yeah, that stance is a little extreme. It depends on your height and leg length. If you are 6'1" I would say that is an ok width. If you are <5'8" I would say good-bye knees.

Some people are into as wide as possible, but can you really ride properly when your stance is that wide is the question. I ride 23" wide 28/-15 and I am 5'8". That is just me though. Everyone has their own preferable stance.

I personally have tried riding upto 25.5" stances. My knees killed me and I slowly dialed it back to where I am most comfortable (23"). Because you do want the widest comfortable stance for a stable platform. I also ride .75" back but that is beside the point.

And just "maxing out your stance" sounds dumb. Do you know how wide it is? Just because you ride 153 doesn't mean their "maxed out stances" are the same. I would measure up something a little less extreme and try to stay with it no matter which board you jump on.


Good advice here for sure. You have to measure from the center of each baseplate to the opposite baseplate. Also I dont think riding 25 -25 would help your kness at all. Go stand on top of a chair and jump off and try and land with your feet both pointing outward... not too comfortable.

We call what you do riding cowboy around here... I would bet you learned that from some of your parkrat friends who all ride like that as well.

[DragonUSMC]

^A-fuking-MEN

[snwbrder3384]

my knees hurt just form thinking about them bent that duckfooted... thats probebly the reason your acl went bye-bye,

[thisboyneedstheropy]

Yeah, that stance is a little extreme. It depends on your height and leg length. If you are 6'1" I would say that is an ok width. If you are <5'8" I would say good-bye knees.

Some people are into as wide as possible, but can you really ride properly when your stance is that wide is the question. I ride 23" wide 28/-15 and I am 5'8". That is just me though. Everyone has their own preferable stance.

I personally have tried riding upto 25.5" stances. My knees killed me and I slowly dialed it back to where I am most comfortable (23"). Because you do want the widest comfortable stance for a stable platform. I also ride .75" back but that is beside the point.

And just "maxing out your stance" sounds dumb. Do you know how wide it is? Just because you ride 153 doesn't mean their "maxed out stances" are the same. I would measure up something a little less extreme and try to stay with it no matter which board you jump on.

alright i'mm measure my stances when i can.... i'll hit u back thanks ....

[punkrock89]

I can't see how people can ride so duck footed. I mean, my feet naturally point out a little, as do most people, and that's how I ride. I keep my bidings at 18* and -9*, and have my feet at slightly wider than shoulder width... which I think is about average.

[DragonUSMC]

^same... just wider then shoulders, and my natural duck feet are 20 -20.

I used to go crazy wide and realized i was working harder then i really needed too... and i got old and beat up from all the spills.

[get me out of GA]

hey man theres a point where you just have to say "you know what.... it's hard to look gansta with a maxed out stance and tall tee if you dont have knees anymore"

[punkrock89]

People look like crabs with thier legs so far apart... I should wear a crab suit and ride with a super wide stance.



I know, that was retarded, but I don't care.

[Cr0_Reps_Smit]

my stace is somewhat wide for my height, its like 23-24 inches and im 5'6, i got my angles set at 22, -22

[DragonUSMC]

hey man theres a point where you just have to say "you know what.... it's hard to look gansta with a maxed out stance and tall tee if you dont have knees anymore"

Best stance post EVER...

[THeJoNMAN]

duck footed!!!